Oraculum
by MissLindaLee
Summary: Surprising revelations are met as Dean, Sam, and Alicia learn about the connection the Yellow-Eyed Demon has in their lives. Takes place a month after the events in "Novus Venator."
1. Chapter 1

"I can't believe you!"

"Me? What about you?"

"What about me? I'm a joy to be around!"

"You're a disgusting slob! You leave your dirty socks in the sink, toothpaste flecks on the mirror...hair on the bar of soap!"

"My hair isn't that long!"

"Not that kind of hair!"

"Yeah, well, you're an OCD chick!"

Sam sighed and glanced up at the ceiling; obviously, he wasn't going to get any reading done with all that shouting. The young man looked over at Bobby and John as the two hunters stood near Bobby's desk, searching through John's notes on The Demon. They had been quietly discussing the patterns John had discovered earlier--the crop failures, electrical storms, and temperature fluxes--until the cacophonic shouting had practically rattled the walls of the entire house.

"So, this is why Dad never wanted cats," Sam muttered as he went back to his book.

A month had passed since Alicia had been cured, and the hunters had decided to stay at Bobby's. During that time Bobby and John had focused on researching The Demon, Sam had spent his time between reading about different supernatural subjects and getting to know Alicia better. When he wasn't up to his elbows in motor oil, Dean had spent his free time with Alicia…and had learned that having a girlfriend was not what he considered a walk in the park.

"Will you leave my stuff alone?!"

"This is my bathroom, Dean, and I want it clean!"

"Ow! Hey! Stop using my towel as a weapon!"

"Okay, that's it," Bobby replied, heading for the stairs, stopping at the bottom. "Alicia, Dean, stop that fighting right now!"

"But he started it! He's a disgusting slob!"

"And she's using my towel to hit me!"

"It still amazes me they actually like each other," John said to Sam, "and half the time they're biting each other's heads off."

"I don't care who started what!" Bobby shouted. "This has been goin' on for the past month, and I want it stopped right now--or I'm comin' up!"

"Bobby, I'm your niece! You can't threaten me!"

"Wanna bet?" Bobby asked.

"You tell her, Bobby!"

"Shut up, Dean!"

"Shutting up right now, Bobby!"

There was silence, and Sam and John looked at each other, impressed. Bobby looked satisfied as he turned and headed back into the living room. He had taken a few steps, when--

"Ally, I swear, if you wipe that mirror one more time, I will kick that little a of yours!"

"I would love to see you try!"

Bobby growled, frustrated. "That's it!" He marched up the stairs, and John and Sam listened as he stormed down the hall to the bathroom. "Okay, you two, I've had enough of this!"

"Bobby, this is my bathroom, and--wait, what are you doing?"

"What I should have done a long time ago!"

"Bobby, no! I'm almost twenty-three years--ow! You spanked me!" Sam raised his eyebrows and looked at John as they heard more shrieks, but the elder hunter simply shrugged.

"Ha, ha!" Dean laughed loudly. "Serves you--hey, Bobby, why are you--don't you look at me like that! Stay away from me--I ain't even your--OW! I can't believe you did that!" Sam couldn't believe what he had just heard; he looked at his father, trying to find a trace of a reaction, but John simply went back to reading his stuff. Sam listened to his brother shout and cuss up a storm for a few seconds before he finally shut up, but things were quiet.

"Both of you get downstairs!" Bobby ordered after a few moments. "Now!" Sam looked back at his book and pretended to be reading as he heard three pairs of feet come down the stairs. He glanced up, seeing Dean and Alicia walk into the living room. The two hunters looked p off, and Alicia was rubbing her backside--and Sam had to fight every instinct in him not to smile, though he knew Alicia deserved it; Dean walked beside her, looking indignant as he rubbed the back of his head. Bobby followed, looking stern. "Sit on the couch." Alicia slowly eased down onto the couch, and Dean flopped down beside her.

"Okay, you two," Bobby continued, "this has gone on long enough. You're fightin' like an old married couple."

"Not likely," Dean muttered. Alicia glared at Dean, and the hunter suddenly yelped and grabbed the back of his head. "Ow," he glared at Alicia, "no power! That's cheating!"

"Alicia Elizabeth Springer, if you do that again," Bobby threatened, "I'll take you over my knee and tan your hide into next year," Alicia opened her mouth, "is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Alicia mumbled. Dean smirked, and she glared at him.

"Now," Bobby replied, "what the hell is going on? You two have been at each other's throats for almost three weeks now, and yer drivin' us all crazy!"

"I'm just asking for a little bathroom consideration," Alicia said, glaring at Dean, "but Pigpen over here seems to be having a contest with himself to see how disgusting he can be every day."

"Well, at least I'm not Martha Stewart on speed," Dean retorted. The two started bickering again, and Bobby rubbed the bridge of his nose. John and Sam glanced at each other, and Sam shrugged; he wasn't the parent. John sighed and walked over to the couch.

"Hey!" he shouted, and the two hunters immediately stopped fighting, looking wide-eyed at the elder Winchester; even Sam stared at his father in shock. It had been a long time since his father had yelled like that…and Sam was surprised John's voice still had the power to get people to pay attention; the youngest Winchester was impressed.

"Now," John continued sternly, "I don't know what's going on between you two, but this childish behavior is going to stop." Dean and Alicia folded their arms and looked away, pouting.

"Oh, that's mature," Sam said wryly.

"Blow it out your a, Sam," Dean replied.

"Knock it off!" John bellowed, looking down at Dean and Alicia. "Work this out, you two--now!"

"Dean needs to stop acting like a disgusting slob," Alicia said.

"I am not a slob!" Dean protested.

"Dean, you are a slob," Bobby said. "You could stand to be a little neater."

"See?" Alicia smirked. Dean glared at her.

"And, Ally," Bobby continued, "you need to lighten up and stop trying to dictate how the bathroom's gonna be run."

"It's my bathroom!" Alicia protested.

"In my house," Bobby retorted. He almost smirked at Alicia's defeated expression.

"Ha," Dean replied, gently smacking Alicia's arm.

"I would just like a little respect," Alicia replied, ignoring Dean's smack. "I mean, it's disgusting to come into the bathroom in the morning, wanting to brush my teeth, and I see pond scum in the sink." She looked at Dean. "Is it too much to ask for you to hang your socks up instead of letting them ferment?"

"It's not like I forget on purpose," Dean said.

"Well, could you try to remember to take them out?" Alicia asked.

"Only if you stop nagging me about my wet towels," Dean counted.

"I'll do that if you stop leaving hair in the soap," Alicia retorted.

"And I'll do that if you don't freak out over toothpaste flecks," Dean replied.

"Deal," Alicia said, holding out her hand.

"Deal," Dean replied, taking her hand and shaking it; he suddenly grinned. "Wanna go make out?"

"Sure," Alicia replied, smiling. She let Dean lead her out the front door, shutting it behind her. The three hunters just stood there, blinking, confused.

"Well, at least they've stopped yelling," Sam said slowly after a few seconds. He glanced up when he saw the elder hunters glaring at him; he held up his hands in defense. "Sorry, but you two agreed to back off and leave them alone."

"Don't mean we have to like it," Bobby muttered as he and John headed back over to the desk; Sam glanced up from his book, and he smiled and chuckled softly before going back to his reading.

* * *

The Impala stood in its spot in the salvage yard, looking like it had just rolled off the assembly line. Its fresh paint job glistened like polished black onyx, and the chrome sparkled without a speck of dirt; the windows were fogged up, despite the warm weather. Inside the car, Dean sat in the middle of the backseat, his hands around Alicia's waist as she straddled his lap, her arms around his neck as the two kissed each other hungrily. Dean moved down to Alicia's neck, finding a soft spot and latching on, sucking gently as Alicia tilted her head back.

"I'm sorry," Alicia said softly.

"Mmmm?" Dean asked, distracted.

"About fighting with you," Alicia replied.

Dean stopped and pulled back, looking confused. "Didn't we just apologize for fighting?" he asked.

"Yeah," Alicia answered.

"So, why are we still talking about this?" Dean asked, slightly annoyed at being interrupted in his attempt to give his girlfriend a love bite. He fought the urge to laugh out loud; it was still a little weird that he actually had a girlfriend--for longer than two weeks, anyway.

"What if the cure didn't work?" Alicia asked softly.

Dean furrowed his eyebrows, then he remembered tonight was the first night of the full moon--their moment of truth. It didn't take him long to realize that Alicia had reacted the way she had because she was scared…and he knew he'd have probably behaved the same way in her position; he leaned back against the back seat and sighed. "Ally, it worked," he said, all traces of annoyance gone from his voice, "I know it did."

"But what if it didn't?" Alicia asked.

Normally, Dean would have said something snarky, but he knew Alicia had led a life that he wouldn't wish on anyone--well, there were some people he would. He knew Alicia had gone through five years of hell, waiting for a cure that none of them were really sure worked. Truth be told, even Dean wasn't a hundred percent sure that the cure had worked, but he couldn't say that--he couldn't even admit it to himself. He had to keep his game face on, not only for her but for everyone.

"Ally, listen to me," he said. "I know…I mean, I don't know…." He trailed off, sighing, frustrated that he couldn't find the right thing to say. "Look, you haven't had any cravings for raw meat, you can't tell who's coming by their footsteps," he chuckled, "and you haven't tried to smell me." He was glad Alicia smiled as he glanced down at the silver ring on Alicia's finger. "After tonight, you won't have to wear this again."

"I still want to," Alicia replied, smiling a little more. "I've kinda gotten used to it--and Bobby did make it, so it's special to me, even without the werewolf angle." She leaned over and softly kissed him. "Thanks."

"You know, you could thank me in another way, too," Dean grinned, slipping his hands under Alicia's shirt, his fingers slowly moving up her back.

Alicia sighed, her smile fading a little. "Dean, you know how I feel about you," she said softly.

"Yeah, so why aren't we getting a room somewhere and expressing our feelings?" Dean asked. Alicia gave him a gentle look, and he sighed. "I know, I know, right time, right place." This wasn't the first time they had discussed moving to a more intimate relationship--and Dean could see Alicia's side about not wanting to be interrupted (not easy when you live with three other people, one of them being Alicia's overprotective uncle who took every opportunity to make sure Dean and Alicia were never alone)--but he was starting to get a little…itchy.

"But it doesn't mean we have to stop what we're doing right now," Alicia said, smiling as she wrapped her arms back around his neck.

Dean grinned, feeling less disappointed. "Yes, ma'am," he said as he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.

(End of Chapter 1)


	2. Chapter 2

- - - -

Everyone watched the full moon rise over the horizon from the basement window. Alicia stood in the cage, her heart racing, and she turned around to face the four men standing on the outside. Dean didn't look thrilled to be on the other side of the bars, arms folded, frowning, but Alicia had insisted he stay out there.

"How you feelin', sweetie?" Bobby asked.

Alicia shrugged. "No pain," she replied softly.

"Well, that's a good sign," Sam said optimistically. "You didn't feel any pain last month either."

"Yeah," Alicia replied, unconvinced. She glanced at Dean. "Dean, please don't be mad at me." He looked away from her. "Dean, if you were in here and this cure didn't work, then--"

"I said it was gonna work, Ally," Dean interrupted, frustrated. "Why the hell won't you believe me?"

"I do believe you," Alicia said, "but we don't know if this thing really works. You can't tell me that in your entire life as a hunter, there haven't been things you've tried that you weren't a hundred percent sure would work."

"That's not the same!" Dean exploded.

"It is the same!" Alicia shouted back. "Werewolves have been around for hundreds of years; I've done my history on them: Lycaon in Greek mythology, the Neuri tribe in Scythia, Petronius' _Satryicon--_."

"You're starting to sound like Sam," Dean interrupted.

"Shut up," Sam said, smacking Dean's arm.

"Knock it off," John spoke up from his spot nearby.

Alicia sighed, defeated; she was tired of arguing, especially about her lycanthropy and the cure. "You really want in here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Dean replied.

Alicia glanced at Bobby. "Bobby, let him in," she said quietly.

"You sure about that, Ally?" Bobby asked. Alicia nodded, and the hunter sighed. "Okay." He removed the key from his pocket and unlocked the door, opening it. Dean brushed past Bobby and walked into the cage; Bobby shut the door, but he left it unlocked.

"Okay," Alicia said to Dean. "Happy?"

Dean shrugged, leaning against the bars, arms folded, never taking his eyes from hers. "Take off the ring," he replied.

Alicia stared at him, who looked at her with a stoic expression, but she could see his eyes were burning with frustration--and concern. The young woman sighed and looked over at the basement window, seeing the full moon higher in the sky. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before removing her ring--and waited. After a few seconds, she realized nothing was happening; she slowly opened her eyes.

"Nothing's happening," she said. She slowly smiled at her uncle, who looked relieved; Sam and John also smiled. Alicia turned back to Dean, her smile wider. "It worked."

"Yeah, congrats," Dean said curtly before leaving the cage and storming up the stairs, leaving John, Sam, and Bobby confused; Alicia's smile fell.

"I'll go after him," Sam replied after a few seconds. He shot a reassuring look to Alicia before hurrying up the stairs and following his brother out the front door and onto the porch. Dean was leaning against the rail, looking up at the moon, looking pensive; Sam didn't care. He walked over and smacked his brother hard on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Dean shouted as he turned around, rubbing his head as he glared at Sam. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Sam replied angrily. "Alicia just got cured of her lycanthropy, and you walk out on her."

"Sam, butt out," Dean said. "This is none of your d business."

"I've lived in this house for the past month with the two of you," Sam continued, "so, yeah, what goes on between you two is my business. So, talk." Dean turned away, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. "Dean!"

"She didn't trust me, okay?" Dean blew up.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked. "Of course she trusts you."

"Well, she certainly has a funny way of showing it," Dean said. "I keep telling her the cure's gonna work, but she doesn't believe me."

"Yeah, and neither would you if your positions were reversed," Sam replied. Dean looked up at his brother, confused. "Oh, don't give me that look. Weren't you the one who told me a few months back that you think things are real only if you can see them?"

"I don't see what this has to do with Ally," Dean replied.

"Think of everything that's happened to her," Sam said. "Both of her parents were killed by The Demon, Meg killed her dog, she's lived as a werewolf for five years, and she's never been close to anyone before we showed up. She hasn't had many good things in her life, Dean, so, yeah, she's not gonna believe something good could happen to her unless it actually happens."

"So what," Dean asked, frustrated, "if she's not gonna believe me, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Be patient with her," Sam replied calmly. Dean rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. "Dean, I'm serious. If you really care about her--and I know you do, so don't even try to deny it--then you need to let her know that she's had plenty of good things happen to her."

"Oh, yeah, like what?" Dean asked, pretending to be annoyed, even though he was secretly glad Sam was there to help him--not that he'd ever tell him.

"Well, Bobby," Sam answered, "so she still has family."

Dean nodded a little; he had to agree with his brother on that. He didn't know how he'd be if he ever lost his father, Sammy, or Alicia. "What else you got?" he asked.

Sam sighed, thinking. "Well, the cure worked," he answered, "and she finally has people she can talk to." He chuckled, smirking. "And I guess you could also tell her she has you…though that might scare her."

"Oh, you're a riot," Dean replied. The front door opened, and the brothers looked over, seeing Alicia standing inside the frame, looking unsure.

"Hey," Sam said.

"Hey," Alicia replied softly. She and Dean stared at each other for a few seconds then looked at Sam. Sam looked between the two, but it took him a few seconds to realize why they were still staring at him.

"Oh yeah," Sam said quickly, "um...I just remembered I have to go do...something. Right now." He brushed past Alicia, heading into the house.

"Sam?" Alicia asked.

Sam stopped and turned around. "Yeah?" he asked.

Alicia walked over and hugged him gently. "Thank you," she replied softly, "for everything."

Sam smiled and hugged her back. "No problem," he said. He pulled back and gently nudged Alicia out to the porch before shutting the door.

"Really subtle, Sam!" Dean shouted.

"You're welcome!" Sam cheerfully replied from behind the closed door.

Alicia and Dean glanced at each other uncomfortably, and after a few seconds, Dean looked down, leaning against the rail. Alicia took a deep breath and let it out slowly, walking over to him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I should have trusted you."

"Ally, don't," Dean replied, looking up.

"No, Dean," Alicia said. "You were right to be angry with me." She shook her head. "I don't know why I didn't believe you."

"Because your life sucked before we met," Dean replied. He glanced over, seeing Alicia's incredulous expression; he inwardly winced. "Uh...I didn't mean it like that." He took a deep breath and let it out. "I mean, I know you didn't have the most ideal life; you know, not a lot of good memories and stuff." He shrugged. "I kinda know what that's like; none of us had good childhoods, really."

"But you believed the cure would work," Alicia replied softly. "Everyone believed it but me, so that makes me the freak."

"You're not a freak, okay?" Dean said, turning to his girlfriend. "Old habits die hard; I get it." Alicia didn't look convinced, and Dean sighed, trying to find the right words to say...without sounding like a pansy. "Look, I shouldn't have yelled at you; I should have been more understanding." He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "I mean, especially with you; everyone's saying we're a lot alike, so I should have seen it right off the bat, right?"

"Why did you yell at me?" Alicia asked, not cracking a smile.

Dean became more serious. "I didn't mean to," he replied. "I guess...I guess it's because The Demon's taken away a lot of people--in both of our lives. Our mothers, your dad...and then it came after you." He sighed, looking her right in the eye. "I couldn't stand the thought of that son of a b taking you...that's why I believed the cure would work." Alicia walked over to the rickety porch swing and sat down, her head lowered. Dean shifted on his feet, not sure what he should do--this was new territory for him--but then he remembered what his brother would do. He sighed and walked over to the swing and sat beside Alicia, pulling her into his arms. "It's okay, Ally."

"I'm a bad person," Alicia whispered, clinging to him.

"No, you're not," Dean said softly. "It's not your fault...I don't blame you for this." He took a deep breath and moved a hand up to stroke her hair, and he was surprised by how un-weird it felt. "And I'll try to be more understanding. I promise." He pulled back a little and looked down at her. "But I want you to promise you'll try to have a little more of the 'glass is half-full' attitude."

Alicia nodded. "I'll do my best," she replied quietly.

Dean smiled and leaned over, kissing her softly. Alicia returned the kiss, deepening it as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The two were so wrapped up in each other that neither of them noticed when front door opened, and Sam, John, and Bobby walked out. They stopped when they saw the couple on the bench, and Sam cleared his throat.

"Not now, Sammy," Dean mumbled against Alicia's mouth, not even opening his eyes. "I'm a little busy."

"Tryin' to put another hickey on my niece?" Bobby spoke up. Dean and Alicia quickly pulled away, and Dean jumped to his feet, looking sheepish as he chuckled nervously. He remembered Bobby's expression when they had come in earlier that day after their makeout session--and Alicia was sporting a silver dollar-sized love bite a few inches below her ear. It had been amusing until Bobby had threatened to shoot Dean with buckshot again. Dean didn't want to have a repeat of that experience--again--not brave enough to see if the third time was the charm with Bobby's threats.

"Bobby, good to see you again," he said, smiling.

"Can it, boy," Bobby replied curtly. Dean nodded, keeping quiet.

"So, why the meeting?" Alicia asked, eyeing the trio's expressions; she didn't have to have her werewolf senses to know something was up.

"We're going on a trip tomorrow," John answered.

"Why?" Dean asked. "We got a case?"

"No," Bobby answered. "We're gonna see an old friend."

"Who?" Alicia asked curiously, getting to her feet.

"Missouri," Sam replied. Dean and Alicia glance at each other before looking back at Sam; he shrugged, unable to give them any more information than that.

* * *

The next morning, the five had packed a few days' worth of clothes--and Alicia had transferred her weapons to the Impala's trunk (she wasn't going anywhere without her weapons)--before leaving Bobby's house and headed off for Lawrence; John and Bobby traveled in John's truck (which had been retrieved from Lincoln), and Sam, Dean, and Alicia followed in the Impala.

Inside the Impala, Dean sat behind the wheel, grinning; it was the first time in a month that he had been able to drive his baby, and he missed her. He was in a good mood, bobbing his head to AC/DC as it blared from the speakers. Sam sat in the passenger side, shooting glances at his brother every once in a while, while Alicia occupied the backseat with a small stack of books, going through her Key of Solomon.

"Whoo!" Dean shouted as he gunned the engine. "Listen to her purr!" Sam and Alicia glanced at each other and smiled, and Sam chuckled as he looked back at his brother.

"You know, for someone who hasn't had his morning coffee," Sam said, "you're in an awfully good mood."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Dean asked. "Got my car all fixed up, and she looks as good as new. She's sleek, shiny, and I love the feel of her in my hands again."

"And to think," Alicia glanced up from her book, smiling, "he says those things about me, too." Sam chuckled.

"Ally," Dean replied, smiling, "you knew when we started seeing each other I was already in another relationship," he grinned at her in the rearview mirror, "but don't worry. I'm only using her for her driving skills."

Alicia smiled and put the book off to the side before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around Dean's neck, resting her head on his right shoulder. "And what about me?" she asked.

"You have an entirely different set of skills that I like," Dean grinned.

"And some of us don't want to hear about them," Sam spoke up. Dean and Alicia chuckled, and Alicia kissed Dean's cheek. Sam glanced at the two, and he couldn't help but smile, but he decided to change the subject. "So, Alicia, you really know Missouri?"

"Yeah," Alicia said. "Yeah, Dad and Bobby used to bring me to see her on my birthday for...for as long as I can remember."

"Any reason why?" Dean asked.

"Not sure," Alicia replied, "but...I mean, I knew she was a psychic, but even when she asked me all these questions about how I was doing, what was going on in my life...she'd let me answer them when I felt ready to answer them."

"Does she know you were a werewolf?" Sam asked.

"Honestly, I haven't seen her in the past five years," Alicia admitted. "She'd been really nice to me, and I didn't want to burden her with my problems."

"She just smacked me around and harped on me," Dean muttered.

"Awww, is wittle Dean afwaid of a woman?" Sam asked, smiling sweetly.

"Bite me," Dean said.

Alicia chuckled and grinned as she shifted and moved to Dean's left shoulder. "You know," she whispered so Sam wouldn't hear her, "if we can get our own room tonight...I might be inclined to do a little biting of my own."

Normally, Dean would have turned his head to look at her, but he was driving his car; he simply grinned and nodded. "I think we can arrange that," he said.

"Arrange what?" Sam asked. He stopped when he saw their grins, and he sighed, rolling his eyes; he didn't know what they had been talking about, but he had a pretty good idea. "Forget it. I don't want to know." Dean laughed before gunning the engine and passing his father's truck, having a need to really push the Impala's engine.

Sam's cell phone rang a few seconds later, and he pulled it from his jacket pocket and flipped it open. "Yeah?" he asked. He sighed. "He's...in a good mood." He nodded, chuckling. "Yeah, I'll tell him." He hung up and turned to his brother. "Dad said--"

"If he said 'slow down,'" Dean interrupted, "then don't even tell me."

"Actually, he told you to just watch it," Sam replied, "and that if you get pulled over for speeding, he'll kick your a." Dean simply smirked and gunned the engine, driving faster.

(End of Chapter 2)


	3. Chapter 3

Hours later, the two vehicles pulled up beside the curb of Missouri's house, and the five hunters got out; they walked to the front door, and Sam rang the doorbell. They stood their in silence, waiting for a few seconds, and then the door was opened by Missouri; she smiled warmly.

"Well, I was wonderin' when you were gonna get here," she said. "I was beginnin' to worry." She stood aside. "Come on in." The hunters walked in, and Missouri shut the door again and led them into the living room; she turned around, smiling at the five. "It is so nice to see you all again." She turned to Alicia, smiling widely before hugging her. "Alicia, it's been five years. How've you been, baby?"

"I'm doing okay, Missouri," Alicia smiled, hugging the woman back. One of Missouri's hands suddenly hit her on the back of the head, and Alicia pulled away, rubbing her head. "Ow!"

"Serves you right for lyin' to me, young lady," Missouri replied, frowning at the young woman, hands on her hips.

"I didn't do anything!" Alicia protested.

"You spend five years avoidin' me 'cause you got infected by a werewolf," Missouri continued, "and then you come here and lie to me about it? I oughta take you over my knee and give you the tannin' of your life."

Alicia looked confused. "How did you--" the young woman stopped herself, remembering who Missouri was, "wait, nevermind."

"See, Ally," Dean said, smirking, "this is why you should be honest with people." Missouri reached over and smacked the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Boy, don't be gettin' a smart mouth in my house," Missouri threatened, pointing a finger at him. Dean opened his mouth, but Missouri stopped him. "That's also for markin' up your girlfriend's neck."

"We're consenting adults," Dean protested. "I don't see how it's anybody's d business but ours."

"Want me to smack you again for cussin'?" Missouri asked.

Dean shook his head. "No, ma'am," he said quickly.

Sam snickered, and Missouri reached over and smacked the younger Winchester. "Hey!" he shouted, rubbing his head. "What did I do?"

"That's for makin' fun of your brother," Missouri said. She glanced between the three hunters, motioning with her hand toward the couch. "Now, you three take a seat."

"Not sure I want to now," Dean muttered. He saw Missouri glare at him, and he laughed nervously. "I mean...okay." He scooted behind Alicia and Sam, keeping his eye on Missouri as he walked over to the couch and sat down; Alicia and Sam joined him.

"I swear," Missouri said, keeping her voice low as she stood outside the living room with John and Bobby, "if I didn't care so much about those three, then I'd probably strangle them myself."

"Join the club," John replied. Missouri suddenly reached around and smacked the backs of John and Bobby's head. "Ow!" The three hunters looked over from the couch, curious, and Missouri quickly herded John and Bobby into the kitchen.

"John Winchester," Missouri said, "Bobby Singer, you didn't tell them, did you?" The two hunters glanced at each other, and Missouri smacked their arms. "You promised you would tell them before comin' here." She sighed, her expression softening. "Look, I know it ain't easy, but we knew this day was gonna come...they need to know the truth."

"They ain't gonna be happy," Bobby said.

"I see Alicia's tattoo is gone," Missouri said. "The cure worked, I take it."

"Yeah," Bobby replied.

"Well, I'm glad she finally tried it," Missouri said, "but she's in even more danger now." The three headed back to the living room, and Missouri went to her bookshelf while John and Bobby stood off to one side.

"So, what's going on?" Sam asked warily.

"Yeah, why did you drag us out here?" Dean added. He glanced at Missouri, who turned around to glare at him; he smiled sheepishly. "Not that we don't enjoy your company."

"Mmmhmm," Missouri replied, not believing Dean for a moment. She found the book she was looking for and went over to her chair, sitting down. "The reason you were brought here was to tell you about The Demon." The three young hunters sat up straighter, and Missouri knew she had their attention. "What we know, anyway."

"What do you know?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, who is this son of a b--," Dean asked, "and what the hell is his problem?"

"His name is Asmoday," Bobby answered, "and he's one of the four princes of Hell."

"Demons have their own ranks," John explained. "In this case, there are four regions of Hell, each one ruled over by a demon prince, who also controls a different element. Asmoday rules over the eastern regions--and his element is fire."

"What does he want?" Sam asked.

"To get to the special children," John replied, "the ones who have psychic abilities." Alicia and Sam glanced at each other.

"Why?" Alicia asked softly.

"To turn them against humanity," Bobby replied. "Remember I told you boys last month that there was a storm comin'?" Dean and Sam nodded. "Asmoday is the frontrunner demon for the other three princes--Vassago, Belial, and Gaap--for the war against humanity." The three young hunters stared at the others, stunned.

"You're telling us that there's a demonic war coming," Dean asked, "and there are three other demons like the one that killed our mothers?"

"Yeah," John replied.

"Oh, this just keeps getting better and better," Dean muttered.

"Is this what you were hiding from us?" Sam asked his father, frowning. "'cause for someone who seemed really surprised about my visions, and who claimed to be clueless about The Demon, you seem to know a lot about what's going on."

"Sam, there was a reason we waited until now to tell you," John replied, "and I'm not enjoying that tone of yours."

"Well, we're not enjoying these surprises you keep dropping on us, Dad," Dean retorted. "You've always doing this, and I'm kinda getting sick of it."

"You never seemed to complain in the past," John replied curtly.

"Knock it off," Missouri shouted, "or I will whack all three of you with a spoon." The Winchester men quieted down, even though the brothers continued to glare their father; Missouri sighed, her expression softening. "Sam, Dean, the reason we didn't tell you about this is because we wanted to wait until Alicia was with you--and that had to be somethin' we couldn't interfere with."

"Why me?" Alicia asked.

"Because this concerns you, too," Missouri explained. She was met with blank stares. "Dean, Sam, Alicia, centuries ago, a prophecy was written that dealt with this upcomin' war." She opened the book, flipping some pages and reading the text. "'When the wanderin' star has aligned with the crescent and Phaethon, the gates of the underworld will open, releasin' the soldiers of darkness onto the plains of the earth.'"

"Phaethon is Greek for 'Jupiter,'" John said, "Venus was called 'the wandering star' in ancient times, and the crescent refers to the moon."

"So, why is this important?" Dean asked.

"Next year," Bobby answered, "the crescent moon, Venus, and Jupiter will align in a three-degree triangle--on May thirteenth."

"So, what does this have to do with us?" Sam asked.

"The prophecy says three of the chosen children will lead the battle against these demons, and one of them will be the key to stopping the war," Missouri continued reading. "'This child will be born from the union of a warrior and a _wicce_, raised as a warrior, revealing a great power from within on the night of the twenty-second anniversary of the child's birth. The soldiers of darkness fear this person, for they know this chosen one will be the key to their destruction,'" she looked up, "Asmoday has been targeting children with special abilities."

"To kill them?" Dean asked.

"To turn them," Missouri answered. "Use them as soldiers of darkness against humanity."

"How will this child stop the war?" Sam asked.

"By dyin' in battle," Missouri answered, "and makin' the ultimate sacrifice to save everyone else; this child's inner gifts will be released."

"A warrior's death," Alicia replied softly. "Does Asmoday know who the person is?"

"No, but there are several clues to the person's identity," Missouri answered. "We know that all the children Asmoday has targeted have had a psychic ability that manifested on their twenty-second birthday."

"And we have no idea how many children like that are out there," Dean muttered.

"We can track them," Sam said. "Dad's been able to find clues leading to where Asmoday would strike next; that's how we saved Monica and Rosie." He turned to Missouri. "You said the child has parents that are a warrior and a _wicce_, right?"

"That's right," Missouri answered.

"Well, _wicce_ is an Old-English name for a female witch," Sam replied, looking at his brother, "and we're often referred to as warriors." Dean stared at Sam, and Sam sighed. "Dean, it sounds like we're looking for a hunter whose father was a hunter and mother was a witch."

"Well, I bet there aren't too many of those," Dean replied sarcastically, "but it's still gonna be hard to find the one we're looking for, because I seriously doubt any hunter who happens to have a psychic ability and Glinda the Good Witch for a mother is gonna wanna talk about it to other hunters trained to kill anything paranormal. I know I sure as hell wouldn't."

"It's not gonna be as hard as you might think, Dean" Missouri said. "There's one more clue that makes findin' this person a little easier."

"What clue?" Alicia asked curiously.

Missouri looked down at her book, reading. "It says here that this child will also possess a deep connection to the spiritual plane, seeing things others cannot. It is seen in children who strongly inherit gifts from both of their parents," she looked up, staring at Alicia, "which often manifests itself in the form of multi-colored eyes--one color from each parent."

Alicia stiffened as she stared back at Missouri, unsure what to say; even Dean and Sam looked stunned by the news. "That's impossible," she said. "My mother wasn't a witch; she was a hunter--that's how my parents met."

"Alicia," Bobby spoke up, "your mother was a hunter, but she also practiced magic. She was one of the more powerful witches I've ever known. How do you think our family wound up with the Key of Solomon and all those other books on magic?" Alicia stared at her uncle, stunned; Dean and Sam were shocked.

"You're saying Alicia's the chosen one?" Sam asked.

"Sam, this ain't _Buffy_, okay?" Dean said angrily, "and Ally's not the chosen one." He glared up at his father. "How long have you known about this?"

"It doesn't matter," John replied. "What matters is--"

"Like hell it doesn't matter!" Alicia exploded, finally finding her voice as she jumped to her feet. "If this is about me, you should have said something before now!"

"Ally, calm down," Bobby replied calmly. "I know you're upset, but--"

"I will not calm down!" Alicia shouted. "According to this d-- prophecy, I'm supposed to die this year!" She saw Dean and Sam rise from the corner of her eyes, and she knew they were p as well--she could feel it--but she didn't care as she stared at the three people across the room. A few things suddenly came to mind, making Alicia sick to her stomach. "Oh, God, my father knew about this, didn't he?"

"Alicia, please calm down, baby," Missouri said gently as she put the book aside, standing up.

"Don't call me that!" Alicia shouted, and the windows shattered, as did the light fixtures. Everyone but Alicia jumped, startled, and stared at the young woman in shock.

"Son of a b--," Dean whispered. He glanced at his brother, who nodded, thinking the same thing: they needed to calm Alicia down--or they were going to have a full-blown _Carrie_ moment. Dean put his hand on Alicia's shoulder. "Ally?"

Alicia jerked from Dean's grip, still staring at Missouri, Bobby, and John. "Is this why my father trained me as hard as he did?" she demanded. "Why you gave me all those books on magic when I was thirteen? Is this why you didn't kill me when I was infected?" No one said anything. "Answer me, d--!"

"Alicia, please," Bobby replied gently, holding his hands up, "we'll talk about this if you want, but you can't react this way."

"Don't tell me what to do," Alicia said. "I trusted you." She quickly looked between John and Missouri. "I trusted all of you--and you used me my entire life!" She shook her head as she brushed past Sam, heading for the front door. "You can all go to Hell!"

"Alicia, wait," Bobby said, starting for her, but Sam quickly stepped in his path, blocking the hunter; a few seconds later they heard the front door slam. "Sam, get out of my way."

"No," Sam replied, standing his ground, glaring at the hunter. "She's right, Bobby. How could you keep this a secret from her?"

"Sam, back off," John ordered.

"No," Sam replied.

"I said back off!" John shouted, heading for his son.

"And he said no!" Dean retorted, moving to block his brother from his father.

"I gave him an order, Dean," John said, getting in his son's face.

"Yeah, well he's through following your orders," Dean replied, not backing down. "And so am I."

"Dean, let's go," Sam replied, knowing he and his brother needed to catch up with Alicia; he also knew that he needed to get Dean out of there before his brother reacted to this situation in his usual explosive way. He looked at his father, disgusted. "I can't believe I thought you could change."

"And I can't believe I defended you all these years," Dean added. "Stay the hell out of our lives." He glanced at Bobby and Missouri. "All of you." He and Sam stormed out of the room, heading for the front door. A few seconds later, they heard the front door slam shut.

"We need to go after them," Bobby said, heading out of the living room with John following.

"No," Missouri said. The hunters stopped and turned around. "Sam and Dean are with her now...and that's what we wanted." She sighed, not happy with the way the situation had worked out, but she knew it was out of their hands--for the time being.

- - - -

Alicia hugged herself as she walked down the street, her head down as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't believe what she had just learned about herself. A prophecy about her dying...her mother had been a witch...she had been lied to by the people she thought she could trust. How could they do that to her?

"Alicia, wait."

Alicia kept walking as she looked over and saw the Impala pull up to the side of the curb. The front passenger window was rolled down, and Sam was leaning out, looking at Alicia with concern. The young woman was almost tempted to stop, but she was still too angry and hurt; she shook her head and picked up her pace. Sam sighed and got out of the car, following Alicia down the sidewalk; Dean killed the ignition and followed, catching up with the two.

"Ally, come on," he said. "You can't do this."

"Why not?" Alicia asked, turning around, still crying. "I just found out that three people I thought I could trust lied to me my entire life--and that my father could have also known about it, too! What am I supposed to do? Pretend that everything's okay?"

"No, of course not," Sam said. "Look, you have every right to be p-- off. They had no right to lie to you, especially about this."

"I don't know who I can trust anymore," Alicia replied softly.

"You can still trust us," Sam said.

"Look, I don't mean to break this up," Dean spoke up, "but we need to go before Dad and Bobby come after us."

"Let them come," Alicia said bitterly. "I don't care."

"Yeah, but we do," Dean replied. "Look, Ally, you're mad--we get it--but we're not going to get anything done by staying here."

"Dean's right," Sam said gently, trying to keep his own anger in check. "We need to go." The two stared at Alicia, waiting for her answer. After a few seconds, she brushed past the brothers, heading back toward Missouri's house. The brothers followed, not sure what she was planning on doing; she stopped next to the driveway, staring at John's truck.

"Ally, what are you doing?" Dean asked. The brothers watched as John's weapon trunk opened and the Colt flew over to Alicia; she caught it in midair before glancing at the brothers.

"We're gonna need this more than they will," she simply said before turning and walking toward the Impala. Dean and Sam glanced at each other before following, deciding it was best to not say anything at the moment.

* * *

The trio returned to Bobby's house at Alicia's request; she wanted to get her IDs, computer, more clothes, and all her books on the paranormal; she was too mad to drive, so she left her car. After everything was loaded into the Impala, they left, never looking back as they headed south. Alicia said she knew of a place they could stay without having to worry about John and Bobby following, but she wouldn't say much about it as she pulled out her phone and called someone named 'Ellen.' The brothers didn't hear much of the brief and muffled conversation, but they were able to catch Ellen's name; after she had finished, she hung up and gave Dean some basic directions to their destination before, curling on her side in the back seat and falling asleep, emotionally exhausted.

Night had fallen as the Impala made its way down a lonely two-lane back road, the only light coming from the car's headlights; the only sound coming from Alicia's soft snores. The brothers stayed quiet, staring through the windshield into the darkness, lost in their own thoughts.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Sam finally asked, looking at his brother.

"Do what?" Dean asked, never taking his eyes off the road.

"We have to locate the third person with psychic abilities," Sam answered.

"You actually believe that prophecy crap?" Dean asked. "That next year there's going to be this big demonic war, and this Asmoday demon's been targeting all the children with psychic abilities for this war?"

"It makes sense, Dean," Sam replied.

"So, I guess it also makes sense that Ally's supposed to die, too, huh?" Dean asked angrily.

"I'm not saying that," Sam said. "I don't want her to die any more than you, but if there's a remote possibility of this whole thing being true, then don't you think we should investigate it? This is what we've been doing our whole lives, and we finally got some answers."

"Yeah, and three more demons to worry about," Dean muttered. "We only have one bullet, Sam, and as far as I know, there's no other way to kill them."

"Well, maybe this third child has the answers," Sam replied. "We just have to find him or her. We know what to look for from Dad's patterns."

"I don't think it's gonna work," Dean said.

"Why?" Sam asked. Dean looked away, and Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "Dean, what is it?"

Dean sighed. "You know, maybe now isn't the time to talk about this," he said.

"Dean, I think now is the perfect time to be talking about this," Sam replied. "We finally get some answers after over twenty years of searching."

"Yeah, and it involves Ally dying and all the special children going bad," Dean said, frustrated. "Not to mention three more demons besides the one we're looking for who are probably more powerful than the one that killed Mom--and we have no way to kill them."

"Dean, look I know this upsets you, but we can't ignore this," Sam replied. "And we don't know for sure that the children are going to bad."

"And we don't know for sure that they won't," Dean retorted. "I mean...what if the other children are the ones who're supposed to kill Ally? If she's supposed to be the key to stopping the demons, they're gonna do everything they can to stop her before that battle starts."

Sam could see the fear in his brother's eyes, and he sighed; Sam had been thinking the same thing, too...ever since they'd left Lawrence. The younger Winchester couldn't bear the thought of knowing that he might be the one to kill Alicia. "Then you'll have to kill me if I try," he said quietly.

Dean looked over at his brother like Sam had lost his mind. "Sammy, I'm not going to kill you," he said, angry at his brother for even suggesting it.

"Dean, you might have to," Sam replied. "I don't want to be responsible for killing Alicia."

"Ally is not going to die," Dean said, frustrated. "No one's gonna to kill her, okay? Not you, not any of the other children…" he stared straight ahead as he gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white, "and not me."

Sam stared at his brother, mouth slightly opened. "What do you mean 'not you'?" Nothing. "Dean."

"I think I'm the third child," Dean blurted out after a few seconds.

Sam blinked, his mouth open in shock. Dean...a psychic child? "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

"Exactly what I just said, Sam," Dean repeated. "I think I'm the third person in that prophecy." He glanced over, seeing his brother staring at him. "What?"

"How is that even possible?" Sam asked slowly, still trying to process everything. "I mean, Mom died when I was six months old...Asmoday never came after us before then--not that we know of."

"I don't know, okay?" Dean replied. There was silence for a long time, and Dean knew what Sam wanted to ask--and he didn't even have to use his gift to see that. "You wanna know what I can do, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sam replied.

"Telepathy," Dean answered. "I think."

"'You think?'" Sam asked, making sure not to raise his voice. "Don't you know for sure?"

"Well, it only seems to work on you," Dean replied, "and not that well, it seems." Sam looked confused. "The first time it happened when I was twenty-two. Remember, we were in Scranton?"

"Yeah, we were taking care of that poltergeist," Sam replied, nodding. He looked at his brother. "Is that how you knew I went back to the house?"

"Yeah," Dean replied. "Dad was too p-- off at you to even wonder how I knew to go back in the first place--and he never asked." He gave his brother a weird look. "You know, I know you weren't speaking much to Dad or me during that time, but you never told us why you went back."

"Just wanted to make sure it was gone," Sam replied, shrugging. "I mean, that thing killed the mother of that family...had to make sure we got it." Dean nodded, agreeing with his brother. "What else?"

"Uh...well, you remember March 15 three years ago?" Dean asked. "You were in a bad car accident in Stanford."

"How did you know about that?" Sam asked, stunned. "I never told you." Dean gave him a 'what do you think?' expression. "You read my mind?"

"No, I just sensed something was wrong," Dean replied. "I went there to check on you and learned you'd been involved in that car accident." He shrugged. "How do you think I knew to come back after Jess? I mean, I didn't know what it was, but I could sense you were in danger...and I had to go back." Dean glanced over at Sam as the younger brother remained quiet.

"So, when were you going to tell me?" Sam asked angrily after almost a minute.

"I'm telling you now, Sam," Dean replied, frustrated.

"I told you months ago about my visions," Sam retorted.

"Well, you didn't tell me about your visions right away, either," Dean said, just as angry. They heard a noise from the back, and Sam turned around while Dean checked the rearview mirror; Alicia shifted and turned on her side, yawning as she settled down--but she didn't wake up. Sam turned around, and both he and Dean stared straight ahead, not saying a word.

"Look," Dean said, the uncomfortable silence finally getting to him, "I didn't tell you about me after you told me about you because I was…."

"'You were' what?" Sam asked.

"I was trying to figure out what was going on," Dean replied slowly. Sam looked over, but Dean kept staring straight ahead.

"Did you find out anything?" Sam asked.

"Not until today," Dean replied sarcastically. "Found out that my girlfriend is gonna die, and my brother and I are gonna turn evil."

"We don't know that for sure, Dean," Sam replied.

"It described Ally to a T," Dean said. "Even you backed it up."

"Okay," Sam replied slowly, "but, Dean, we thought that there was no way to cure werewolves...and we cured Alicia. If we can do that, then I'm sure we can find some way to stop this from happening. That's what we do, Dean; we save people from evil...it's no different now."

"Yeah," Dean said softly as he glanced out his window briefly.

Sam could see the pain in his brother's eyes, and he wanted to say something comforting, but he knew Dean wouldn't believe him. "Do Dad or Bobby or Missouri know about your gift?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Dean replied. "They seemed to focus more on you and Ally...if they thought I was part of this thing then they would have said something."

Sam glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping woman. "Does Alicia know?" he asked.

"No," Dean answered.

"Well, you better tell her soon," Sam replied. "We can't keep this from her--not now."

"I know," Dean replied. He didn't want to see his girlfriend pull another _Carrie_, but he wasn't sure how she'd react to it all; he wasn't sure if she even remembered the part about the other children going bad...and he wasn't sure if he could really tell her. He saw a dirt road approaching with a wooden sign, and he remembered the directions Alicia had given him before falling asleep. He slowed the Impala and turned onto the road, driving down about a quarter of a mile before coming to a run-down roadhouse, with cars and motorcycles in the front, and a neon sign lit up with the words 'Harvelle's Roadhouse' hanging on the front.

"It's a bar," Sam replied as Dean pulled the Impala into a spot near the front.

"I can see that, Mr. Obvious," Dean replied as he put the car into park.

"You sure you followed Alicia's directions?" Sam asked.

"Of course I followed them," Dean replied. "Look, I'll go in and see if I can find this Ellen person; wait here." Before Sam could say anything Dean got out of the car, slamming the door shut; Sam watched his brother walk up to front door and head in.

(End of Chapter 3)


	4. Chapter 4

Alicia opened her eyes and blinked at the bright light. She yawned and stretched, finding herself on a full-sized bed under a thick quilt, and in a familiar room. On the other side of the room, her bag lay on the floor next to the dresser--next to Dean and Sam's weapons bag; a nightstand sat beside the bed, separating it from another full-sized bed on the other side. Alicia could feel how cold her feet were, and she reflexively looked on the floor for her socks and shoes. She found them nearby and she pulled back the quilt, leaning over, grabbing and putting them on.

The young woman stood up, stretching a little, working the stiffness from her body before crossing the room and opening the door. She headed down a narrow hallway to a swinging door; she didn't hesitate as she pushed on it, walking through to the front of a bar. She paused when she saw a young man passed out on the pool table; he had a brown mullet and wore a faded red button down shirt with the sleeves ripped off, jeans, and boots. Alicia smiled a little, folding her arms, recognizing him immediately.

"Look who's finally awake." Alicia looked over and saw Dean and Sam sitting at a nearby table; it was Dean who had spoken.

"I see you found the Roadhouse," Alicia said as she walked over, taking the spare chair at the table.

"Wasn't that hard," Dean replied. He wanted to kiss her but he wasn't sure how she'd feel about that at the moment. To be honest, even he wasn't sure how he was feeling; he still cared about her, but with the new developments in their lives...he wasn't sure if he still had that right.

"So where's Ellen?" Alicia asked, knowing if she had been sleeping in that backroom, the brothers had to have already met Ellen.

"Right here, darlin'." An older woman with blonde hair came out the swinging door, carrying a tray with a large pot of coffee and three mugs. She brought it over to the table, setting the tray down and pouring coffee into the mugs. "Here you go."

"How long was I out?" Alicia asked, not caring that she was drinking straight coffee without sugar or cream.

"About ten hours," Ellen replied. "You feelin' okay?"

"Fine," Alicia replied curtly.

"Really," Ellen said, folding her arms, "then why did Bobby call last night askin' about you three?" Alicia glanced up, pretending to look clueless. "Don't play dumb with me, young lady."

"Look, Ellen," Dean said, frowning up at Ellen, "we appreciate you giving us a place to stay, but back off, okay?"

"You mind your tongue with me, boy," Ellen replied, glaring down at Dean.

"Dean, it's okay," Alicia said softly. She looked up at Ellen. "Did you tell Bobby we're here?"

"Yeah, but he's not coming," Ellen answered. She briefly glanced at the brothers. "Neither is John."

"Good," Alicia said before taking another sip.

"Look, I got some stuff to get out of the stockroom," Ellen said, knowing she wasn't going to get any answers from the young woman until Alicia was ready. She left, heading through the swinging door.

"She seems nice," Sam said.

"She is," Alicia replied as she got up from her chair, and the brothers watched her head around to the bar. "So, you guys know her story and this bar's story?"

"Yeah, she told us last night," Sam replied. It was kind of weird to learn that there were more hunters out there than he and Dean first thought. He and Dean watched as Alicia grabbed a shot glass and a bottle of Jack Daniels, setting the glass on the bar.

"Ally, what are you doing?" Dean asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I need something a little stronger than coffee right now," Alicia replied as she poured herself a shot.

"It's ten in the morning," Sam said.

"Well, it's five o'clock somewhere," Alicia replied, raising the shot glass in a mock toast before downing the whiskey in one gulp; she winced a little but quickly recovered.

"Okay," Dean said slowly, glancing at his brother; they hadn't been around Alicia for too long, but they knew enough about her to know she was not acting like herself. The two got up from the table and walked over. "Ally, I'm all for Jack myself, but I think now is not the time for this."

"You're right," Alicia said. "It's never good to drink alone." She pulled two more shot glasses out and poured whiskey into all three, setting the bottle down and raised her glass. "A toast to...how crappy my life has turned out."

"Alicia, that's not true," Sam said.

"Easy for you to say, Sam," Alicia replied sarcastically. "You didn't just find out that the people you thought you could trust had been lying to you...and by this time next year, you're supposed to die." She downed her drink in one gulp, sighing as she put the glass down. The swinging door suddenly slammed open and a young blonde woman about Alicia's age, wearing a black tank top, jeans, boots, and a stained apron tied around her, stormed out, looking very upset. She stopped when she saw the trio, her angry expression replaced with a look of surprise.

"Alicia?" she asked. "So, Mom was right; you are here."

"Guys, meet Ellen's daughter, Jo," Alicia said, smiling, the alcohol already giving her a buzz. The brothers nodded politely, and Jo smiled at Dean and Sam--mainly Dean.

"Hi," Jo said. She looked back at Alicia. "You know Mom's gonna kill you if she sees you with her good whiskey."

Alicia shrugged. "I'll pay her back," she replied. "'sides, I'm legal." She grabbed one of the two shot glasses she had filled and downed it.

Jo turned to the brothers, smiling. "I met your father a few times," she said. "Nice guy."

"He's a Grade A jacka--," Alicia said bitterly, grabbing another shot glass and downing it.

"Alicia, I don't think it's a good idea to be insulting their father with them standing right here," Jo said. She smiled apologetically at Dean. "Sorry about Alicia. She can be a little rude sometimes," she looked right at Alicia, glaring at her, "as you can clearly see."

Sam and Dean each raised an eyebrow, knowing Jo was flirting with Dean. Sam glanced at his brother, wondering what Dean would do. He was a little surprised (but not too surprised) to see Dean force a smile and edge away from Jo, hoping she'd take the hint and see he wasn't interested.

"She's not being rude," Dean replied calmly. "She's just...expressing her opinion, right, Ally?"

"Right, sweetie," Alicia answered before downing the other shot of whiskey.

"'Sweetie?'" Jo asked Dean, pointing to Alicia. "Are you two…?"

"Yeah," Dean replied, hoping Jo would back off, "for about a month."

"Huh," Jo said, looking between the two. She shrugged as she started wiping down the bar with a towel. "Well, I think it's rather rude for a girlfriend to insult her boyfriend's father--especially when the boyfriend's around." She leaned over as she stretched out to wipe a far spot, glancing at Dean and smiling. Dean cleared his throat, avoiding Jo's stare as he stepped toward Alicia.

"Ally, come on," he said, watching her pour another shot. "Put the bottle down and let's go." He could clearly see she had all the characteristics of an angry drunk, and as much as he didn't appreciate Jo's shameless flirting when she clearly knew he was already taken--he wasn't too thrilled with the possibility of Alicia telekinetically throwing Jo across the bar...or through a window.

"Yeah, we need to talk," Sam added quickly.

"Why talk?" Alicia asked bitterly as the alcohol fully hit her; she downed her fifth shot. "There's nothing to talk about," she glared at Jo, "and stay away from Dean, Jo."

"Excuse me?" Jo asked, folding her arms, frowning at Alicia.

"Don't play dumb with me, Blondie," Alicia said ignoring the two men. "I see the way you're throwing yourself at him--and right in front of me, too." She pointed to the hickey on her neck. "See this? Dean gave this to me; he's mine--so keep your a-- out of his face, or I'll drop-kick it into the next county." Jo rolled her eyes. "Is this because I wouldn't take you hunting last time I was here?"

"It was a simple case," Jo said. "Even you said so yourself."

"I preferred hunting by myself," Alicia said. "Besides, you were in school."

"I dropped out," Jo replied, frustrated. "I was just a freak with a knife collection. I don't know why Mom won't let me go with you. I know what I'm doing, and I've been on a couple hunts already."

"You brought me up again, didn't you?" Alicia asked.

"I was just pointing out our similarities," Jo replied.

"'Similarities?'" Alicia asked, raising an eyebrow; she snorted. "Girl, you must be crazy if you think you can even compare yourself to me."

"Excuse me?" Jo asked.

"I have been coming to this place for five years," Alicia said angrily, "and every time I'm here, you're fighting with your mother about not being able to hunt, and you try to use me as leverage--and I am **sick** of it."

"I am old enough to go hunting!" Jo shouted. "You're just like my mother! You think you're better than me because you've hunted on your own for five years?"

"This is so typical of you!" Alicia replied. "Every time you don't get what you want, you b-- and moan about how your life is **so** horrible because I'm out hunting and you're still stuck at home playing with your dolls!"

"What the hell is going on out here?" Ellen shouted as she stormed in. She stopped when she saw the scene before her. Dean and Sam looked uncomfortable, and Jo and Alicia were practically in the middle of a catfight--as Alicia held a bottle of Jack Daniels. "Alicia, is that my good whiskey?"

"I'll pay you back, Ellen," Alicia replied, keeping her eyes on Jo. "Tell your daughter that if she doesn't keep her mouth shut and her eyes off my boyfriend, she'll be missing a few teeth--and **both** her eyes."

Ellen eyed the situation, and she quickly came to the best solution to this problem. "Okay, Alicia, reign in those claws," she said as she walked over, standing next to Jo. "Jo, go make sure we have enough cases for tonight."

"Sure, take her side," Jo replied angrily.

"Joanna Beth, don't get an attitude with me, girl," Ellen warned. "Go." Jo glared at her mother before storming out.

Ellen sighed, wanting to strangle her daughter. She looked over at Alicia as the young woman poured another shot. "Alicia, I don't know what's going on right now," she said, "but you won't be using it as an excuse to take my alcohol without permission or yell at my daughter. You hear me?"

"Maybe you should keep your daughter on a shorter leash, then," Alicia said as she put the shot glass to her lips, but Ellen put her hand over the shot glass.

"Now listen here, young lady," Ellen replied, her voice low with edge, "you're practically family, and I'm willing to overlook most things, but if you ever speak to me like that again, your problems with Bobby will be the **least** of your concern."

Alicia opened her mouth to give her a smart Alec remark, but she was too tired, too betrayed...too angry to really put forth the effort. She sighed and slowly put the glass down; she really wanted to go back to sleep. "I'm gonna go lay down," she said quietly. She turned and took a step toward the swinging door, but her foot didn't quite connect with the floor. Her eyes rolled back into her head--and she fell forward, crashing to the ground.

Dean and Sam scrambled around the bar, kneeling beside the young woman and turning her over, checking her. They heard her snoring softly, which put them at ease. Dean carefully lifted Alicia into his arms, standing up and walking out of the bar through the swinging door with Sam following.

"This is gonna be an interesting day," Ellen muttered under her breath. She glanced over at the man still passed out on the pool table and chuckled as she started cleaning up the bar; he hadn't even stirred.

- - - -

Six hours later, Alicia knelt in the bathroom; her face was pale and sweaty, her hair damp and hanging limp as she leaned over the toilet and vomited loudly. Sam and Dean were in the bedroom, watching her through the open door, wincing as the young woman retched.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"I feel like I'm gonna die," Alicia mumbled, resting her head on the toilet seat.

"Well, you downed five shots of Jack Daniels on an empty stomach," Dean replied, "not the smartest thing to do." If it had been Sam with the hangover, Dean would have gladly been shooting his mouth off, making disgusting remarks--he loved annoying his brother--but he knew Alicia would punch him later on for any remark, so Dean kept his mouth shut.

"Dude, I think she's being punished enough without you ragging on her," Sam said, giving his brother an annoyed look.

"Hey, at least I didn't ask her if she wanted a greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray or something," Dean replied. Alicia moaned in response before vomiting again, and Dean winced. "Sorry, Ally."

"I'm gonna kill you when I stop puking," Alicia said, giving Dean a glare. She stayed on the floor for a few more minutes, making sure she was finished, then she slowly got up and walked to the sink. She turned on the cold water, cupping her hands to drink and rinse her mouth out; she then washed her face, catching her breath before turning the water off, grabbing a hand towel and patting her face dry.

"How's your head?" Sam asked as she walked slowly into the bedroom.

"Feels like it's in a vice," Alicia said before flopping onto the bed, her head resting on the pillows.

"So, did we learn a lesson today?" Dean asked as he sat down beside the young woman.

"Yeah, Jack is a very spiteful man," Alicia muttered, her face buried in the pillows. Dean and Sam couldn't help but smile at the comment.

"Well, he's better than José," Dean said. "Believe me on that one."

"So, what's up with you and Jo?" Sam asked, deciding that it wouldn't be best to broach the prophecy/demons thing at the moment.

"Nothing," Alicia mumbled.

"Liar," Dean replied.

"Fine, she's a little blonde b--," Alicia said as she slowly turned around; she saw Sam and Dean's expressions, and she sighed as she slowly sat up. "Look, ever since I started coming to the roadhouse, Jo's been using me as an excuse to try and get her mother to let her go hunting." She started mimicking Jo. "''See, Mom, she's only two years older than me. Why can she hunt if I can't?'" She rubbed the spots above her eyes, trying to get rid of some of the pain. "And it wouldn't be such a big deal if she didn't do it every time I came here over the course of five years." She looked at Dean. "And then she has the nerve to hit on you--while I'm standing right there."

"Ally, I wasn't interested," Dean replied, trying not to smile; it was nice that Alicia was feeling protective of him.

"I know, and I appreciate that," Alicia said, "but she still shouldn't have done anything."

"Well, maybe you two should stay away from each other," Sam replied, "or one of you is liable to kill the other."

"My money's on Ally," Dean said, smiling, picturing a catfight between Alicia and Jo...wearing bikinis...in a pool of Jello.

"What is that smile for?" Alicia asked.

"Nothing," Dean replied quickly, his smile fading.

"You know," Alicia said, "all things considered, this was uneventful compared to the last time I got drunk." She glanced over and saw Dean and Sam looking at her, surprised; she chuckled a little. "Don't look so shocked, guys. I have been drunk a few times."

"So, what happened the last time?" Dean asked.

"I had just turned twenty-two," Alicia explained, "and I had finished a hunt...a couple of people ended up dying before it got resolved. I was pretty upset when I left, so I managed to drive back to Bobby's place, and…."

"Decided to get friendly with Jack?" Dean asked.

Alicia nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "I don't remember much, but Bobby said at one point, I started yelling--and everything in the room that wasn't nailed down went sailing through the air, smashing into the walls...and all the windows broke." She chuckled. "At first, Bobby thought I was possessed," she shrugged, "not that I could blame him, but then he realized that I had a psychic ability, so he helped me learn how to control it."

"Do Ellen and Jo know?" Sam asked.

"No," Alicia replied. "They know what we knew before we had the bombshell dropped on us…and I think it'd be best that they don't know...not at this point, anyway."

"I agree," Dean replied. "This is our fight--and our problem." He could see Alicia still looked upset, and he leaned over to kiss her, but he pulled back when he smelled the whisky and vomit. "Whoa, Ally, might want to brush your teeth before we make out again."

"Gee, and they say chivalry's dead," Alicia replied sarcastically. She sighed and leaned against Dean's shoulder, and the elder Winchester put his arm around her; he glanced up and saw Sam giving him a 'talk to her' look. Dean sighed and nodded.

"Ally, we need to talk about what happened yesterday," he said.

"I don't think there's anything else we need to discuss, Dean," she replied quietly.

"Yeah, there is," Dean said. He took a deep breath. "Remember when Missouri mentioned that there were three special children whot were going to fight the demons?"

"Yeah," Alicia replied. "Sam, me, and some other person we haven't found yet."

"Ally, it's me," Dean said bluntly. He always hated beating around the bush, even with news he knew would be upsetting, and Sam was right; they needed to be upfront about this whole matter. He watched Alicia sit up, looking at him in shock, her headache forgotten.

"You're a psychic child, too?" she asked softly.

Dean nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I'm telepathic. I, uh...it, uh, emerged when I was twenty-two," he shrugged, "but it only seems to work with Sam right now."

Alicia looked at Sam. "Did you know about this?" she asked.

Sam nodded as he sat down on the bed. "Yeah, Dean just told me last night," he said.

"How is that possible?" Alicia asked. "Did Asmoday--"

"Not that we know of," Dean interrupted.

"Then that breaks pattern," Alicia said. "If he didn't come after you when you were six months old …."

"There's no telling how many are out there," Sam replied softly. "No way to track them."

"So, what do we do?" Alicia asked.

"We keep you safe," Dean answered quickly, "above anything else."

Alicia sighed, knowing what Dean was talking about. "Dean, if I'm gonna die," she said, "there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"You're not dying, Ally," Dean said firmly. "I don't care what that d-- prophecy says about you or any of us. You're not dying," he looked at Sam, "and we're not turning evil." He did his best to sound convincing, but the truth was he wasn't convinced--not about himself, anyway. He wasn't worried about Sam; Sam was practically a saint, but Dean...well, he had a lot of darkness in him...something that evil could easily latch onto.

Alicia saw the determination and fear in Dean's eyes, and she glanced at Sam. He simply shrugged, knowing there was no point in arguing with his brother when he made up his mind; Dean was just stubborn that way. Alicia looked back at Dean, nodding.

"Okay," she said softly, not in the mood to argue.

"Look, just get some rest," Dean replied. "We'll figure out a game plan later on." Alicia looked unconvinced, but Dean smiled. "Trust me, Ally, okay?" Alicia nodded, and Dean leaned over to kiss her, but then he stopped himself, remembering his girlfriend had just puked her brains out...and her breath still smelled like rotten eggs; he chuckled. "You mind if I get a rain check on that kiss?"

"Yeah," Alicia replied, smiling. She winced, rubbing her head, feeling the bile rise in her throat. She suddenly turned green before she bolted from the bed, running for the bathroom; she barely made it to the toilet before vomiting again. "Ooooh …." She leaned her head against the seat, sighing as she closed her eyes.

"You gonna be okay?" Dean asked. He heard snoring, and he raised an eyebrow as he looked at his brother. "Did she just pass out again?"

"Hey, you've done the same thing after drinking a few too many, yourself," Sam replied, smiling. Dean gave him a 'gee, thanks,' expression, and Sam grinned as he patted his brother's shoulder and got up. "I'm gonna go see Ellen, let her know how Alicia's doing." He left the room, closing the door softly.

Dean got to his feet, walking over to Alicia and sitting beside her. He carefully brushed some hair from her face, tucking it behind her ears. The young woman moaned a little, and Dean wanted to take her back to bed, but he knew she wasn't finished blowing chunks just yet, so he gently shifted her until he was holding her in his arms, gently rubbing her back as she slept away her hangover.

(End of Chapter 4)


	5. Chapter 5

- - - -

It was another six hours before Alicia resurfaced. The main bite to her headache and nausea were gone, but she was still far from being her usual alert self. She had managed to get in a little nap during that time and a cool shower before changing into more comfortable clothes--a fresh pair of jeans, Dean's button-down maroon shirt (he had let her keep it), and her black boots; her hair was towel-dried, combed out, and hanging loose. She headed out of the backroom and down the hall, pushing open the swinging door and walking into the bar.

Since it was after ten at night, the place was a little more populated, and Alicia recognized a few of the fellow hunters currently occupying various tables. They nodded when they saw her, and Alicia nodded in response. Jo was busy with some tables on the far end of the bar. Jo looked up and saw Alicia; the two women narrowed their eyes at each other before Alicia turned abruptly and walked over to the bar where Dean and Sam were sitting; she could see they were looking at John's papers on Asmoday. Ellen stood behind the bar, pulling out some bottles for other patrons. When she spotted the young woman, she smiled a little.

"Well, look who's finally up," Ellen said. Sam and Dean looked over, and Alicia could see they were glad to see standing.

"Hey, Ellen," Alicia replied, taking the empty stool beside Dean. She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a twenty, laying it on the bar. "I think this should cover my 'breakfast' this morning." She looked both apologetic and embarrassed.

"I appreciate that," Ellen replied, taking the money and pocketing it. Alicia knew enough about Ellen to know that her apology had been accepted, even if Ellen hadn't actually said it.

"How're you feeling?" Sam asked.

"Well, Riverdance isn't doing a four-hour concert on my head anymore," Alicia replied. "Just a little dull pain, now." She leaned over and gave Dean a peck on the lips; when she pulled back, he appeared surprised--and a little wary. "What?"

"What was that for?" Dean asked.

"Your rain check," Alicia replied, smiling a little.

"Oh," Dean said slowly; he seemed a little startled, but he smiled. "So, do all your rain checks have that fresh minty aftertaste?"

"Only after I brush my teeth twenty times to get rid of that fuzzy-teeth hangover thing," Alicia replied.

Dean grinned, but then he suddenly remembered he was in public, and he cleared his throat, putting on his game face as he put his hand on the table. "Ellen, bring us a round," he said. Ellen raised an eyebrow. "Uh...please."

"I'll have a ginger ale," Alicia said, seeing Dean's grin quickly disappear. She knew Dean wasn't a PDA type of person, but it still hurt a little; she had been used to Dean freely expressing his feelings back at Bobby's place, so this was something new. She turned back to Ellen. "And some crackers, if you have any."

"Comin' right up," Ellen replied, busying herself with filling their orders.

"So, what's up with your father's notes?" Alicia asked, eyeing the papers between the brothers. "Game plan time?"

"Right now we're just trying to make heads or tails of Dad's stuff," Sam replied.

"Two beers, one ginger ale, crackers, and some aspirin," Ellen said, putting the drinks and crackers on the bar, handing Alicia a couple of pills; she smiled at Alicia. "This should help with the rest of your headache." Alicia smiled her thanks, swallowing the pills. Ellen eyed the information the brothers were leafing through. "Look, if you guys need help with The Demon--"

"We're okay, Ellen," Dean interrupted. "This is kind of a personal thing."

"Dean, The Demon is not just your problem," Ellen replied, getting close and keeping her voice down. "I know your dad's been trackin' it for quite some time. I called John four months ago, offerin' to help, but he never responded."

"Maybe he had good reason to," Dean snarked.

"Dean, knock it off," Sam said, frowning at his brother briefly before looking back at Ellen. "Can you make sense of Dad's stuff?"

"Ash can," Ellen replied.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"He's a character," Alicia explained. She looked at Ellen. "Is he in his room?" Ellen nodded, and Alicia got up. "I'll go get him."

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Dean said, getting up.

"What?" Alicia asked, turning around.

"Why do you have to go get him?" Dean asked. He wasn't too keen on his girlfriend going to the room of a guy he'd never met or even heard of before now.

"Because Ellen and Jo are busy," Alicia replied, "and Ash doesn't like strange people bothering him." Sam snorted. "What, Sam?"

"Nothing," Sam answered, his lips curled up ever so slightly. "Just curious about his definition of 'strange,' that's all." Alicia put her hands on her hips, but he could see she was amused by his gentle teasing.

"Okay--back to now," Dean said, moving to brush past Alicia. "Where do I find this Ash dude?"

"Easy, soldier, I got it," Alicia said, putting up a hand to stop him; she was trying to keep her temper in check, but Dean was starting to annoy her. "I'm getting Ash."

"No, you're not."

"Look, Dean, I'll be fine, okay? Ash is harmless."

"Good, then you won't have a problem with me getting him."

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Alicia asked.

"Why are **you**?" Dean retorted.

"Look, both of you shut up and get him together," Sam spoke up, frustrated. "Sheesh." The hunter couple kept their eyes locked with each other, jaws set, eyes simmering with anger.

"Fine," they both replied before Alicia turned and headed through the swinging door; Dean followed.

"Those two..," Sam said, trailing off as he shook his head, going back to his beer.

- - - -

"I still don't see why you have to come along," Alicia said as they walked toward the door at the end of the hall.

"I'd like to know why you're so keen on getting this guy on your own," Dean retorted. He saw the wooden sign hanging on the door reading 'Dr Badass is' and then a smaller sign hung below it reading 'IN'. For a second, Dean forgot his frustration with Alicia and snorted. "Nice sign."

Alicia knocked on the door. "Ash, it's Ally." Nothing.

"So, what, were you two an item or something?"

Alicia snorted. "Ash and me, are you kidding me?" She knocked harder. "Ash!"

"Then what the h is going on, Ally?"

"You wouldn't understand." She growled, frustrated, pounding loudly. "DR. BADASS!"

"What wouldn't I understand?" Dean asked.

"Look, just drop it," Alicia replied as the door opened. The young man who had been passed out on the pool table earlier that morning stood in front of them--only this time he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. Dean and Alicia quickly turned their heads, but only Dean looked disgusted. He glanced over at Alicia, and he couldn't believe that she looked like she was about ready to bust a gut laughing.

"Well, well, well, look at what the cat dragged in," the young man said, grinning at Alicia. "Honey, I haven't seen you in almost six months."

"Been…busy, Ash," Alicia replied, trying not to laugh out loud. "You know, hunting and stuff."

Ash noticed the hickey on Alicia's neck, then he glanced at Dean. A slow grin spread across Ash's face. "Well, I think I can take a wild guess about what kind of 'stuff' you've been up to, sweetie."

"Okay, enough chitchat," Dean replied, keeping his eyes averted; he really wanted to kick Ash's a, but it meant having to look at a naked man…and there wasn't enough money in the world to get the hunter to do that.

"Ash, we could use some help," Alicia said.

"Hell, then…I guess I need my pants," Ash replied before closing the door.

"You have got to be freakin' kidding me," Dean said as he grabbed Alicia's arm and pulled her away, heading back to the main room. "**That's** Ash?"

"Yeah, he's a genius," Alicia replied, still smiling, glad that Ash had annoyed Dean so much; she knew it was stupid, but it served Dean right for being a moron about the whole thing and not trusting her.

"He ain't no genius, Ally--he's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie."

"Okay, so he dresses differently."

"Yeah, he doesn't dress. Period. And you didn't seem to mind." They burst through the swinging doors, heading back to their stools.

"So, is he coming?" Sam asked.

"I'm not going to have this conversation with you, Dean," Alicia said, sipping her ginger ale.

"No, I think we should," Dean replied, "especially since you failed to mention him before tonight."

"Thanks for answering me," Sam said sarcastically, but the two were so wrapped up in their own argument that they didn't even notice.

"I did so mention him before tonight," Alicia retorted. "I told you he was the one who set up that system on my computer."

"Oh, yeah, like that's really giving me a lot," Dean said.

"Hey!" Dean and Alicia looked over, seeing Ellen leaning over the bar at them, her eyes boring holes into them. "Now, you two listen to me--knock it off, or I'll dropkick your asses out of here so fast it'll make your heads spin, you got it?" The two hunters didn't say anything more, but they turned away, scowling. A few minutes later, Ash walked in, fully dressed; he headed toward the trio, smiling at Alicia as he took the stool on her other side.

"So, how can I be of service to you, honey?" he asked the young woman. "And you gonna introduce me to your friends here?"

"Sam and Dean, meet Ash," Alicia replied, putting on a fake smile, still mad at Dean. "Ash, meet Sam and Dean Winchester."

"We already met," Dean muttered into his beer bottle.

"That's Ash?" Sam asked, eyeing the newcomer. Alicia nodded and motioned for Sam to pass John's stuff over, which he did.

"Ash, there's some stuff that we'd like you to look over," Alicia said, pushing the stuff closer to Ash.

"This stuff's about a year's worth of our dad's work," Sam added. He and Alicia watched as Ash rifled through the papers. After a few seconds, Ash shook his head.

"Come on," he said, "this crap ain't real." He looked up. "There ain't nobody who can track a demon like this."

"Our dad can," Sam replied.

Ash sighed and looked back at the papers. "These are non-parametric, statistical overviews, prospects and correlations," he said. Sam furrowed his eyebrows, unsure that he had heard Ash correctly, and Dean nearly spit out his beer in surprise; despite her annoyance with Dean, Alicia managed a smile at the brothers' expressions. "I mean--damn! They're signs, omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track The Demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms. You ever been struck by lightning? It ain't fun."

"Can you track it or not?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, with this, I think so," Ash replied, "but it's gonna take time. Uh, give me," he stared off past at the bar, thinking, "…fifty-one hours." He gathered up all the papers and got up to head back to his room.

"Hey, man?" Dean asked. Ash stopped and turned around; Dean smirked condescendingly. "I, uh, I dig the haircut."

Ash smiled proudly, either missing Dean's insult or just ignoring it all together, as he ran a hand through his hair. "All business up front," he said.

"And party in the back," Alicia finished, grinning.

Ash held up his fist in agreement. "Rock on, darlin'," he said.

"Oh, Ash, can I ask you a favor?" Alicia asked as she sprang up, walking over to the other man.

"You can ask me for anything, Allycat," Ash replied, grinning. "You know, my offer still stands."

"And I told you not to even consider asking me out until you fix your hair," Alicia retorted jokingly.

"Then I'm gonna be a lonely man for the rest of my life," Ash said, pretending to be wounded as he put a hand over his heart. "What can I do for you?"

Sam and Dean watched as Alicia talked with Ash. They couldn't make out what the two were saying--their voices were low--but Dean looked less than pleased with the thought of his girlfriend flirting with...with an 80s roadie reject. Alicia and Ash talked for a few more seconds, and Ash nodded; Alicia smiled and kissed his cheek before heading back to the bar while Ash went back to his room.

"So, what's going on?" Dean asked.

"Oh, nothing--just asked Ash to do something," Alicia replied, sipping her drink.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Something," Alicia answered. She glanced over, seeing Dean's annoyed expression. "What?"

"Nothing," Dean said curtly as he shrugged. "You two just seem pretty close, that's all, but I don't care--I mean, it's not like I have any reason to care, even with you flirting with him, him calling you 'Allycat', you kissing him...seeing him naked." He went back to his bottle.

"Are you freakin' kidding me?" Alicia asked, her voice low. "I already told you there's nothing between us."

"With how close you two are, I'm not surprised," Dean muttered.

"Dean, knock it off," Sam replied through clenched teeth. He didn't know if his brother was tired, drunk, or just still pissed off at their father and Bobby, but it gave him no right to be treating Alicia this way.

"Look, we're just friends," Alicia said.

"Then what the hell was up with all the flirting?" Dean asked, frowning.

"It wasn't flirting," Alicia replied. "He pretends to ask me out, I make fun of his hair; it's something we do, and we both know it's nothing more than playful banter." Dean didn't even look at her. "Are you going to stay mad at me now?"

"No," Dean muttered.

"Okay," Alicia replied slowly, knowing that he was lying, but not really wanting to continue arguing. She was surprised that she wasn't as mad at Dean as she knew she should be, and if she hadn't been in the middle of an argument with him, she would have thought the whole thing strange. She knew that Dean was jealous, but she didn't feel like she had to explain herself any further than she already had. "What's it gonna take to fix this?" Dean slowly looked over, smirking, and Alicia wasn't even amused. "No way."

"Aw, come on, Ally," Dean replied, frustrated; he put down his beer. "We've been going out for a month. I think it's time we had a little action."

"So, what, you wanna do it in the back room?" Alicia asked.

"Works for me," Dean replied, grinning.

"Look, I really like you, Dean, but we are not doing it in a bar--especially when I'm still recovering from a hangover."

"I will not do it in a bar," Sam muttered softly.

"And whose idea was it to get plastered?" Dean asked.

"I will not do it in that car," Sam continued.

"That's beside the point, Dean."

"I will not do it in a snit," Sam said.

"No, I think that's exactly the point, Ally."

"I will not do it, Dean, you twit," Sam finished with a small smile on his face.

"Shut up, Sam," Dean and Alicia both said. Sam just smiled into his bottle.

"Look, Dean," Alicia replied, her attention focused back on the older brother, "we already had that discussion." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, doing her best to keep her temper in check; she got up from her stool. "I'm going to bed." She headed through the swinging door, leaving the brothers at the bar.

Sam watched Alicia disappear, then he turned to Dean, frowning while Dean sat there, staring straight ahead, drinking his beer. Sam kicked Dean's leg, and Dean snorted his beer, glaring at his brother.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Dean hissed, wiping his mouth.

"You're what's wrong with me," Sam replied, keeping his voice down. "Why are you acting like an asshole?"

"Why are you acting like a psycho Dr. Seuss? What goes on between Ally and me is none--"

"When I have to ride with the two of you, then yes, it is my business. Now, what the hell is going on?"

"Sam," Dean warned, "stay out of this."

Sam knew what was bothering Dean--he knew his brother better than anyone--and he knew that he was risking a lot by demanding an answer from his older brother, but Sam wanted Dean to hear himself how stupid he was being. "At first I thought you were just being jealous," he continued, "but then I thought back to right before I graduated high school, when you kept picking fights with me over the stupidest things--and all because you hadn't gotten any in a couple of weeks."

"Sam, I swear, if you don't shut up..."

"Alicia's the best thing that's ever happened to you--and you're treating her like crap. I mean, is getting laid more important to you than waiting until she's ready?" Dean didn't answer him as he took another sip of beer. "If that's the case, then why don't you do what you normally do, and just go pick up some strange woman and screw her?"

Sam didn't even see Dean's fist until right before it hit him square in the face. The younger Winchester fell backward off his stool, tumbling to the floor; he lay there, clutching his jaw, looking up at his brother as the place grew silent. Dean just glared down wordlessly, his jaw set; after a few seconds, he left, heading through the swinging door.

"Sam, you okay?" Ellen asked as she came over and helped Sam to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied, gingerly rubbing his jaw. "I kinda deserved it."

"Want some ice?"

"No, I'm good." Sam pointed at the front door with his thumb. "I'm gonna get some fresh air, okay."

"Okay," Ellen said against her better judgment. She watched Sam leave through the front door as everyone stared at him. "Alright, fellas, show's over." She waited until everyone went back to what they were doing before she took her place behind the bar.

(End of Chapter 5)


End file.
